Riding toy



May 7, 1963 R. E. AYRES RIDING TOY Filed Nov. 9, 1959 /,/?7R/CHARO E. AYRES I26 IN VE N TOR HUEB/VER & WORREL ATTORNEYS Patented May 7, 1963 3,088,733 RIDING TOY Richard E. Ayres, 32501 Road 228, Woodlake, Calif. Filed Nov. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 851,746 1 Claim. (Cl. 27251) The present invention relates to a riding toy and more particularly to a body supporting device adapted to revolve a rider supported on the device in an orbital path incident to shifting of the weight of the rider on the device.

It is recognized that pleasure is derived from amusement rides that swing or revolve the rider in an orbital path about a fixed axis. This is evidenced by rides found at carnivals, provided by certain playground equipment, and the like. The known rides of this type are generally designed for group use, and may be power driven or may require pushing periodically to sustain rotation. The power-driven rides frequently have provision for jerking or whipping the rider during travel along the orbital path further to add to the thrill or excitement of the ride.

Many such rides are designed for use by large numbers of people. Because of the cost, size or difliculty of operation, for example, they are either impossible or impractical, for individual, home, or backyard use. Simplified, compact, light-Weight, rider-driven toys which are same and simple to operate and use have not generally been available for carrying or sustaining the rider in an orbital path.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a revolvable riding toy.

Another object is to provide a body supporting device adapted to revolve freely in an orbital path incident to the shifting of weight of a body supported on the device.

Another object is to provide a revolvable riding toy which is simple and safe to operate.

Another object is to provide a revolvable body supporting toy adapted for individual as well as group use.

Another object is to provide a revolving seat in which rotation is motivated 'by shifting the weight of a rider supported on the device.

Another object is to provide a riding toy of the nature described which is compact, light-weight, and portable.

Another object is to provide a riding toy having a plurality of optionally employable riding positions affording a variety of experience.

Another object is to provide a body supporting device adapted to support a rider for movement in an orbital path and further adapted at his selection to impose a jerking or whipping action to the rider during movement along said path.

Another object is to provide a riding toy which requires some skill and agility to ride and which affords physical exercise for the rider.

Another object is to provide a riding toy adapted to carry the rider in an orbital path and in which the speed of travel along said path and the whipping action described above are controlled by the rider.

These, together with other objects, will become more fully apparent upon reference to the following description and accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the subject riding toy.

FIG. 2 is a somewhat enlarged, side elevation of the riding-toy.

FIG. 3 is a still further enlarged, fragmentary section of a portion of the toy.

FIG. 4 is also a further enlarged, fragmentary crosssection of another portion of the toy.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the riding toy of the subject invention includes a substantially circular, flat, rigid base disk 10 having an inner surface 11, an outer support surface 12, and a circular rim 13 concentric to an axis for the disk. An elongated tubular sleeve 16 provides an end wall 17 connected to the inner surface 11 of the base disk 10 so that the sleeve is coaxi-al with the disk. The base sleeve has a cylindrical side Wall 18 providing a pair of transversely aligned apertures 19 and circumscribing a socket 20 open at the opposite end of the sleeve from the end Wall.

-A plurality of angle irons or gussets 25 individually provide mounting flanges 26 secured to the inner surface 11 of the base disk 10 by means of screws 27. The angle irons are radially extended with respect to the disk and are also in circurnferentially spaced relation to each other. The angle irons also have extended flanges 28 substantially normal to the inner surface of the base disk and provide inner ends 29 individually welded, or otherwise secured, to the side Wall 18 of the base sleeve 16. The angle irons have outer ends 30 inwardly spaced from the rim 13 of the base disk. These angle irons impart rigidity to the base sleeve as well as to the base disk.

A flat, substantially circular, body supporting or seating disk 35 is also included in the subject riding toy and has an inner surface 3-6, an outer support surface 37, and a circular rim 38 concentric to an axis for the body sup porting disk. Preferably, as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the body supporting disk is slightly smaller in diameter than the base disk.

A coupling sleeve 45 includes .an end wall 46 rigidly connected to the inner surface 36 of the body supporting disk 35 so as to mount the sleeve 45 in coaxial relation to the body supporting disk. The coupling sleeve has a tubular cylindrical socket 47 open at the opposite end of the coupling sleeve from the end wall 46. Elongated angle irons or gussets 49 have mounting flanges 50 individually secured to the inner surface of the body supporting disk by means of screws 51, extended flanges 52, inner ends 53 secured, as by welding, to the coupling sleeve 45, and outer ends 55 terminating short of the rim 38 of the disk 35. In essence, therefore, the body supporting and base disks .are of substantially identical construction with the exception of the difference in diameter and the lack of transverse apertures in the coupling sleeve.

An obtusely angulated, journal or coupling rod 59 of cylindrical crosss-section includes a supporting end portion 60 rotatably received in the socket 20 of the base sleeve 16. This supporting end portion has a transverse bore 61 extended therethrough which is alignable with the apertures 19 in the base sleeve when the supporting end portion is bottomed against the end wall 17 of the base sleeve. A coupling pin 63 is releasably extended through the aligned apertures and bore, and a wing nut 64 is screwthreaded on the pin for releasably holding it in place. The journal rod also has an opposite mounting or journal end portion 66 releasably rotatably received in the socket 47 of the coupling sleeve 45. In this manner, the disks are rotatably interconnected in acute angular relation to each other.

Operation The operation of the described embodiment of the subject invention is believed to be readily apparent but is briefly summerized at this point.

The base disk 10 is rested on the ground or floor, not shown, in a substantially horizontal position with the support surface 12 facing downwardly. This, of course, supports the body supporting disk 35 in an upwardly inclined position with its support surface 37 upwardly disposed. It is evident that with the journal rod 59 pinned to the base sleeve 16, the body supporting disk is freely rotatable about its own axis on the mounting end porthe rider again descends. properly shifting 'his weight, the rider can sustain rotato a whipping or a jerking action.

.positio'n, use, or orientation of these disks.

tion with his feed'adjacent to the downwardly directed segment or low edge of the rim 38 'andwith-his seat adjacent to the upwardly-disposed segmentor high edge of the rim. Further, the rider grasps the rim 38 with his ll-ands on opposite sides of his body. As long as the riders Weight is equally distributed on opposite sides of a-vertical plane'normal to anddiamet'rically of the=body supporting disk 35, the latter-remains stationary. A certain amount of resistance to rotation-is also aiforded by frictional contact of the coupling sleeve 45 'with 'the mounting end portion '66 incident to the weight of the rider on the disk 35.

If the rider, not shown, desires torotate the body supporting disk 35, he shifts his weight to 'o'nedir'ectionor the other causing an imbalance of forces on the upper portion of the body supporting disk and imposing a torque which rotates the disk in the direction toward which his'weight'is shifted. The rider-thereby gravitationally swings from his original position,with hi's feet downwardly directed, to a reversed position with'his feet directed upwardly and with his'seat at the low edge of the disk. 'Inertia carries the seat of the rider beyondth'e lower .point in the orbital 'path of'travel. However, just before reaching said low point in said path, the rider swings his body in the direction of movement to impart an additional torque to the body supporting disk 35. This added torque plus the inertia carries the riderlupwardly to his initial, feet-down position, and beyond, whereby By repeating'this action and tion at considerable speeds. Each time the rider moves around the low point in the'orbita'l path, he'is subjected Both the speed and the extent of the whipping action can be controlled by the rider to suit his desires.

The subject riding toy'c'an also be inverted whereby the body supporting disk 35 is supported on'the ground in horizontal position and the base disk is upwardly inclined. Obviously, therefore, the reference to the disks as being either base or body supporting is merely for the purpose of'descriptive convenienceand does not limit the -In the inverted position of the toy, it is to be noted that although the base disk is upwardly inclined, it does not rotate about its own axis but rather about the axis of the body supporting disk 35. The action of the base disk '10 in moving about the axis of the body supporting disk is one of mutation with the plane of the base disk constantly shifting as it revolves about the axis of the body supporting disk. It is evident, therefore, that a rider supported on the base disk receives an entirely diiferent sensation during revolutionary movement from the sensation of riding on the toy with the body supporting disk in upwardly disposed position.

A still further use may be made of the subject toy. Thus, with either the base disk 10 or the body supporting disk 35 serving as the lower or horizontal disk, the pin 68 is removed byunthreading the wing nut 64. In this manner, both of the sleeves 16 and 45 are freely rotatable on their respective end portions 60 and 66. Assuming the body supporting disk 35 to be the upper disk, said disk is movable both about its own axis and about the axis of the base disk 10. The type of ride obtained when using the toy in this condition depends upon the manner in which the riders weight is imposed on the disks and upon relative frictional'resistance-to-rotation of the end portions of the journal rod 59 in their respective sleeves.

While the operation of the subject toy has been described by stating that a rider is seated on the upper disk, it is to be understood that the toy can-be ridden while lying *down on the upper disk and shifting the weight, as before. Further, while the toy is primarily designed for the individual use, it is to be understood that the toy could "be made in larger sizes and ridden by several persons -at oneti'r'ne. Ins'uch an event,=the operation of thetoy would-be essentially'the same, it being understood that the various riders would shift their weights successively at the proper times during the travel 'around the orbital path.

From the foregoing it will be evident that a riding toy has been provided which revolves a rider in an orbital path and'imposes a whipping'or=jerkingaction to the rider during a portion of travel 'alongsaidpath. The toy is particularly adapted for individual use and is highly appealing inasmuch as the type of ride can be controlled to a certain degree'by the rider. The 'toyis light-weight, portable, compact, and safe to use. Further, the toy has several positions of use each offering a different ty'p'e'of ride. '-It is particularly enjoyable for children who not only experience the thrill and excite- -ment of an unusual ride but also test their skill and agility and receive physical exercise as a result of use 'of the toy.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described'in what is co'nceivedto be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized "that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of 'the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein'but is to be accorded the full scope of the "claim so as to embrace any and allequivalent devices and-apparatus.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters 'Patent is:

An invertible riding toy on which a user may impart rotary motion to himself by successive periodicshifts of his center of gravity comprising a first substantiallycir- 'cular'disk concentric to 'a first axis of rotation therefor, a second substantially circular disk concentric to a second axis of rotation for the second disk, ajiournal member having an'elongated cylindrical mounting portion and an elongated cylindrical journal portion inobtuse angular relation to eachother, second means rigidly coaxially mounted on the second disk and rotatably connecting the mounting portion of the journal member in concentric axially extended relationvon the second disk, first means coaxially borne by the first'disk and rotatably connecting the journal portion of the journal member in concentric axially extended relation on the first disk whereby the disks are in acutely angularly related planes and in opposed relation to each other with the journal member therebetween, and coupling means releasably interconnesting the second connecting ineans and the mounting portion of the journal member for preventing relative rotation between said second means and said mounting portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 157,311 Clime Dec. 1, 1874 2,400,981 Dishmaker May 28, 1946 2,467,333 Scllards Apr. 12, 1949 

